Dried Apples!

These are even better than the bananas.  I love them most.  I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted these, so I tried a few different things.  Now I know!

First of all, while I wish I had one of those awesome apple-peeler-corer-slicer doohickies out there (that would make this whole thing SO MUCH FASTER), I have never really tried peeling apples much, but it turns out I am a naturally-born-apple-peeler-magician-guru. I can peel an apple so that the peel comes off as one long, pretty spiral...which isn't actually important, but man alive! I should have been an apple peeler by trade.

See?  Proof!  Side note: if you don't have a dog begging incessantly for your apple peel scraps (ahem, Obi), don't just throw them away!  For a deliciously unhealthy snack, cut them up and fry them up with a VERY little little butter and some cinnamon and sugar!  They are a chewy, apple-y treat.

Secondly, you don't need straight lemon juice to pretreat apples.  You can make a solution of 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 cup water, and just soak the apples a good 5-15 minutes after you slice them however you want.  You SHOULD pretreat apples--oxidation not only is gross-looking, but MAY mess with the flavor and WILL cause a slight loss in some of the vitamins (A & C).  At least, that's what I read.

Thirdly, I tried just plain ol' apples, some with cinnamon, and some with cinnamon and sugar (I wanted to see if the natural sweetness of the apple would be enough sugar for it).  It turns out that, at least with green apples, you really do need that sugar added.  So they might not be quite as healthy, but they are really, really yummy that way.  But I like the plain ones quite a bit, too.  And I will have to get back to you if the red apples are any different...it seems like they would be, right?

Fourth and lastly, apples dry WAY faster than bananas, which surprised me as I don't think of bananas as a very juicy fruit.  But the apples were done in 4 hours, and I let them dry another 2 for good measure, and they were most definitely perfect.

So, here are the final products (that are already halfway gone, and I can't wait to make more for my sister and niece tomorrow!):

Apple rings!  I cut these at 1/8".  I STRONGLY suggest, if you're like me and don't have the cool corer/slicer/peeler gadget, that you cut the slices FIRST and then just "connect the dots" to cut out the core--you'll see what I mean.  :)  I tried taking the core out first, and I almost cut off my thumb.  Then I got smart.  :)  These are the ones I put just cinnamon on, so the taste wasn't quite as awesome, but the fun shape makes up for it!  And now I know better for next time.

Apple slices!  These were plain and tart and waaaaayyyy good.  If I were making a baggie of dried fruits or wanted them for cereal, these are the kinds I would make.  I quartered the apples, cored them, then I cut these in 1/8" slices.

Apple bits!  Perfect for trail mix, young kids, and oatmeal.  I cut the apple in eighths, then sliced them in 1/4" thick slices.  I should try just dicing them in cubes, but anyway...I love how light and tart these are--I could eat them like popcorn.  :)

And my FAVORITE--apple chips!  I know these aren't as crisp as in an oven, but they are pretty dang crisp, and I kind of like this better, anyway.   I sliced these SUPER THIN, like a millimeter maybe, and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top.  I made sure that even in the rotation of the trays these stayed on top, near the heat source and fan, and it helped.  These are the kinds I'm making more of for the family.  

That's it!  Happy eating!